Flickering Flames
by Cursed Blessing
Summary: Series of encounters between Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata prove to be leading to a relationship in the future. Points of views may also vary between chapters.
1. Flickering Flames

**Author's Note**: Whee some people reviewed my "Embers of Ambition" !! Excellent…I was honestly thinking that it was so absurdly long that no body would even bother to read it! Awww, and u wanna know what else happened? You guys are so great! squeals okie! Well, I will try write another fic….but from an actual point of view….I unno, if anybody likes those kinda stories….but I will, and this one will be short, much much shorter than my first fic. And if you want me to write more chapters I will….think of this as a more in depth look at the whole Sasuke/Hinata thing portrayed in my one-shot! The things that weren't included and such….and this might be kinda confusing as well, but I hope I can explain stuff here. deep breath on with the fic!

Oh, and if you never read _Embers of Ambition_, it couldn't hurt to read it, just to get some understanding of what I might be writing about….cuz I don't wanna get repetitive, cuz I know I get somewhat annoyed by hearing some idea repeated over and over and over and over and over…..lol, just to get a point across just like this A/N keeps going and going and going and…okay, I'll stop there lol

**Disclaimer**: If you honestly think I own Naruto, you must be outta ur mind! Lol so, to clear up any misconception u might've had, I do not own Naruto ahahahaha

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**Flickering Flames**

_Hinata's Point of View_

The chill in the autumn air was rather comforting. I couldn't sleep. Not tonight, anyways. I kept thinking about him, and why he was such a jerk. I knew for a fact that I could not have done anything to anger him, or even provoke him to bother me. I wanted for anything to understand why he hated me.

With a sigh, I took in a deep breath, inhaling the rich aroma of the autumn air. I loved autumn, the many colors were so breathtaking at times. I looked over to my curtains, watching them billow gently with the wind. A ghastly blue glow was cast onto my floor, basking my room in a faint tint of blue. Forcing myself to sit up, I pushed my blanket aside. As I gazed down at the floor, the thought of Uchiha Sasuke once again crossed my mind.

"I didn't mean it," I whispered to no one in particular. Out of frustration, I let myself fall back onto my pillows. _Maybe that's why he got mad_, I thought. _I was being too unreasonable. All I had to do was answer him. Was that too hard of a task to do, Hinata?_

I let that day's events replay themselves in my head. Maybe things would make sense, if I never read too much into them.

Now that I recall, I had gone to the training grounds rather late in the evening, hoping that most people would be at home having supper or elsewhere. I just didn't feel comfortable training with others, well, having others observing me at least. Even after the chuunin exams I had gone through, it was still unnerving. I remember that I had arrived thinking I was alone, so decided to practice fighting forms and techniques on one of the tree posts. At the time, my goal wasn't to beat up the post until my hands were bloody, or my shins bruised. It was just some light training; what I really wanted to work on was my kunai accuracy. The whole sparring thing was just a warm up.

My breathing was just a bit heavy, but nothing to hold me back from my real plans. I turned towards one of the many straw dummies that hung from the nearby trees. They were at a fair distance, not too close or too far. I tucked some loose strands of hair behind my ear, before reaching for my kunai. I concentrated on my target before actually throwing my kunai, centering my concentration and focus. Just as I was about to release my kunai, a rather distracting noise threw off my aim and focus. My kunai just skimmed the straw dummy hitting the tree right behind it.

"Hey! Hinata-chan!" the call came once again.

My hands shot up to my mouth, an attempt to hide my shock and disbelief. Not that it did either, actually come to think of it, it must have made me appear even more shocked. I turned to the source of the voice. I knew it was Naruto-kun.

"What are you doing training all by yourself?" he inquired as he walked towards me. I smiled softly at him. "Didn't Shino want to train you?"

I shook my head. But before I could say anything, somebody else stated the obvious.

"Dope, she wanted to train by herself," another voice said. I could see Sasuke come walking out of those same trees I was just aiming at. The thought of almost hitting him crossed my mind, and I was thankful my kunai connected with the tree and didn't go flying somewhere else. "Or are you too blind to see that?"

As Sasuke passed by the same tree that I had hit, he plucked my kunai from the bark. He had a casual way about him, even as he walked over to Naruto and I. I wasn't really surprised to find Sasuke here, except only wondering when he had arrived. Lately, I had been off my guard. Trying to work on my shinobi skills consumed my mind, that I was not as observant as usual. The last time I had actually talked with Sasuke had been at the Teams' reunion last week.

I looked over to Naruto to see how he would react. The last thing I wanted was for them to fight. It seemed that whenever they argued, they had to exchange blows, at least according to some of the sources I had heard this from. Sakura was just as concerned with keeping the peace between them, as I would be between my own old teammates. Sure enough, it looked like Naruto could just charge over to Sasuke and beat the crap out of him.

"I was talking to Hinata-chan," Naruto retorted.

Sasuke came to a stop not too far in front of me, his eyes closed, as Naruto kept chattering.

"Listen, dope," Sasuke finally said, cutting Naruto off. "Some people actually want to get some training done." With that said, Sasuke held up my kunai, and thinking that he was about to give it back to me, I reached out for it. Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, he fired the kunai behind him, to the same target I had just been aiming for. Much to mine and Naruto's surprise, the kunai landed dead on.

Sasuke turned to leave, probably back to his home, or maybe to where he had just been training. I didn't care, not at that moment. I just kept looking at my kunai stuck right on the bull's eye. How could he get the target? He doesn't have eyes on the back of his head. Suddenly, it occurred to me how dumb of a question I was asking myself. He was after all a chuunin, of course he would have to talented. But I was a chuunin, just like him, and I had missed the target. I had been looking at Sasuke when he threw my kunai, and I could not read his expression nor his body language. He just seemed so casual, like it wasn't a big deal. Show off.

"Hey!" Naruto called after Sasuke. "Don't walk away while I'm talking to you."

Sasuke stopped and turned to face Naruto. The look on his eyes, as if ready to take Naruto up on his challenge. His eyes were scarlet; his sharingan was activated. Naruto must have finally provoked him. Before things could get heated up, I took a step forward.

"H-how c-could you get the kunai to h-hit?" I questioned Sasuke.. I paused for a bit when I felt mycheeks gettingwarm."And w-while not even looking a-at t-the target."

His brow rose slightly, as he diverted his attention to me. Even Naruto looked at me. I guess they weren't expecting me to say anything. His gaze still held mine. I couldn't look away, even when I tried. His eyes turned to the kunai finally. I stood there, silent for a while, then glanced at the kunai, to where he was looking.

"I saw the target before," he simply stated. "I knew where it was, I didn't need to look at it again. Anybody should be able to get that target."

"W-well…" I started. Then my gaze fell to the ground. "I missed."

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan," Naruto exclaimed. "I would have done the same mistake."

"Well, you both are losers," Sasuke agreed with Naruto's claim that he would have missed the target just as I had done. I hugged my arms close to me. I'm not a loser, I just thought. I clenched my fist gently, to keep my hand from trembling, because I could feel it would any time soon.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Hey! Hinata-chan is not a failure! Neither am I!"

"My mistake," he said once again his calm voice. "You guys aren't losers. You're above them...but only just a little bit."

I could see that Naruto was about to get even angrier with Sasuke. I don't know where I found the courage, but I spoke up. Neji had been trying to help me with my self-confidence, so I figured now was as best time as any to exercise what I might have learned, if any. "Naruto-kun is not a loser," I said in a louder tone than before, and without a studder.

Naruto looked over to me, and Sasuke also turned his attention to me. I kept my eyes my eyes on the ground next to me. I could hear them talking, but nothing seemed to register. I just blocked what they were saying. What seemed like an eternity, I thought over my position. Was I really a loser? I wondered if I would have hit the target if Naruto had not distracted me. I should have hit that target despite Naruto. I could feel my teeth clench out of anger; anger with myself. I looked up to the target. Just seeing my kunai there, disappointed me, especially since it wasn't even me who threw it there.

"Hinata?" The voice brought me out of my little daydream. I blinked and looked over to Naruto. He looked over to Sasuke, and I followed his gaze. Sasuke met my eyes once again.

"So?" he asked. I don't know how long they must have been talking to me. Just looking at Uchiha Sasuke frustrated me. "How about it? We'll train."

I kept my gaze on his. "No. You guys can go ahead." I looked away, rather quickly, and walked over to the target, removing my kunai from the target.

I had to walk past Sasuke in order to get home. I pulled up the flap of my kunai pouch, and slid my kunai into the empty leather case.

"Hinata?" Sasuke said as I was nearing him, his hand wavering in the air, looking like he was struggling whether he should stop me or not.

I looked up to him again, meeting his red eyes. They were unsettling to look into, especially when the dying light of the sun was also casting an orange-red light onto his face. He must have seen the disappointment and anger I had in my eyes, because suddenly his face no longer held the same casual demeanor as it usually did. The skin between his brows tensed slightly as he frowned, it looked as though he were about to lose his temper. His hand dropped to his side, forming a loose fist.

"What?" he demanded as he looked at me, his voice was slightly louder and carried a hint of anger. "Do you want me to suck up to you?"

I turned my gaze away as I walked past him, ignoring his statement. From behind me, I could see what looked like a look of disbelief on Naruto's face. Had I surprised him with my uncalled display, or was it Sasuke that surprised him. I quickened my pace to escape their stares. As soon as I turned the corner I broke out into a run. I didn't know what I was running from, I just wanted to get away. I was surprised with myself, and with Sasuke.

When I got home, I ate only half of what my mother made for me, and said that I was tired. My mother said she would make sure nobody would disturb me. My father was outside watching Hanabi spar with Neji. I spent the rest of the evening in my room, lying in bed and reading a novel, trying to distract my thoughts.

And now as I lay in bed, it occurred to me just how awful I must have seemed. Sasuke had tried to make up for insulting me, but all I could do was be angry with him. I felt like an idiot, just realizing that now. I just needed a clear and calm mind to understand. No wonder emotions are regarded as useless by some, even though they might not follow the same creed they believe in, it is still logical as to why they think that. If only I never overreacted.

But then again, he did kind of lash out his anger on me in return.

_Do you want me to suck up to you? _His words seemed to repeat themselves in my head.

No. I just want you to understand me…like Shino.

The thoughts just came to my mind without me even thinking them. I closed my eyes. What was I doing, comparing Sasuke to Shino. They were nothing alike. Shino is considerate of my feelings, and cares about me. Sasuke is definitely not that. But still, that's all I wanted, but I could never tell him. With a sigh of defeat, I reached and pulled my blanket over me once again. I snuggled my blanket over my head, covering all but my eyes, as I opened them to stare at the moonlight coming through my window. I closed my eyes to fall asleep, with my last thoughts dwelling on Uchiha Sasuke.

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**A/N: **Well, if you never caught when this occurs, its almost been a week since they last seen each other at the reunion, which is mentioned in _Embers of Ambition. _I hoped you liked this chapter! I found it entertaining to write, so I hope you found equally enjoyable reading it! 

Remember to review, cuz that way, I will know what to write next chapter…cuz you know you're dying to read more moments between Hinata and Sasuke!! Ah, see, you do want to read more! Lol

Well, thanks for reading!


	2. Fanning the Flames

**Author's Note**: Okie…well, I wasn't really expecting people to read this, because I figured they wouldn't because it's connected to another story to read….and I was just basing the decision on my own self….laziness and procrastination. But no, I actually began thinking of ideas for this chapter….it may not be as impressive as my first chapter, but it will do for now.

Also, I would like thank **_Scented Candles_ **and **_Random Person_**, just cus their reviews somehow inspired me, and set me to thinking of other moments between the two shinobi, Hinata and Sasuke. Also, this fic was somewhat difficult to write, because it was from Sasuke's point of view….and just trying to understand him, was kinda hard, well more difficult than understanding Hinata. Welp, now on with the fic….after I get done with the annoying disclaimer… grumbles

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto

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**Fanning the Flames**

_Sasuke's Point of View_

The soft crunching of the newly fallen snow beneath my feet was the only sound within the walls of the Uchiha compound. I kept my eyes on the ground in front of me, not wanting nor desiring to look upon the empty buildings of my home. It may have been only a small section of Konohagakure, but to me, it was my life; the one place of my family.

Training seemed to occupy my days, it was the only thing that I committed myself to doing, besides missions or being called in to the academy. I sure didn't want to get stuck instructing little brats about how to be a shinobi. Let somebody else do that kind of work, I have my other ambitions to reach. I just want to become more powerful.

A cold wind kept pushing at my back, as if escorting me out of the compound, a ghostly hand leading me away from the memories. I would not forget those memories. Never. Nor would I ever forgive him. The thought of my brother boiled my blood. I would do anything, and give up everything just to kill him. But, I also had my other solemn promise to myself to fulfill: restoring my clan. Until I knew I was strong to face Uchiha Itachi, I would not go after him again. Not after my second defeat to him.

Powder snow blew off a nearby roof, hitting me in the face. I turned my head away from the source, and shut my eyes. Winter. There was something about it that was calming. I looked up to the bleak sky, then down to the white snow. As I looked at the snow on the ground, my thoughts were diverted to an image of a white-eyed girl. Hyuuga Hinata.

Now that I thought about, her eyes did seem calming. Our paths don't cross often, but when they do, it seems as though something is bothering her. She won't speak unless spoken to, or at least that's the impression I usually get. A smirk came to my lips without my noticing at first. Just thinking about her shy personality was amusing. Especially, if she tried to speak aloud, but then recoiled back to her quite self just as quickly, maybe noticing that she was being assertive frightened her.

At times, I tried to be more considerate to her, but her personality…as much as it's cute, it can be annoying. Yet, it was also humorous in a few ways. With a sigh, I kept on walking. Today was not going to be a day of training. No, today was going to be another get together, another one of Sakura's bright ideas. No doubt, Ino also had a hand in this. Naruto would just come for Sakura, but the others for the food or whatever Ino managed to come up with to convince her old team mates to show. Shino would come for Hinata. As a matter of fact, I had no real clue who really was going to be there.

Well, whoever was going to be there did not matter. It was a late birthday party for Hinata. I kept telling myself not to go, but for some reason, I kept walking despite my wishes to keep away from the whole thing all together. I had not noticed when I left the compound, but it just occurred to me now that I was walking the streets of Konoha. I glanced back, looking at my footsteps. They weren't the only ones anymore.

A slight sigh escaped my lips as I turned back to my path, and kept walking. I held the present I was going to give to Hinata in my hand. It wasn't the most extravagant gift ever, just a simple folding fan, with carved bamboo and floral designs painted on the silk. Well, I'm not trying to impress the girl, so this is the best choice I could come up with. It didn't take long making it either, but they don't have to know that I made it. And if, for some odd reason, she isn't satisfied, then I even came up with another idea…as a gift. I would a play a song for her on my flute, as much as I hated the idea.

I had been gone from Konoha for so long…and when I did return, I looked at differently. Naruto carried his goal to "save" me. I didn't need anybody to help me, and definitely not Naruto. As much as I tried to settle back into my old life, so much had happened that it seemed almost impossible to do so. When I was at the little reunion, I had been thinking of the same thing. What would have happened if I stayed with Orochimaru? They would still be committed to getting me back, that much I knew.

I was just a block away from Naruto's place, since that was where they decided to hold this birthday bash. I saw nothing special about turning eighteen, and now that I thought about it, if anything, Hinata would not want to be celebrating. She had already celebrated with her family, and now she would be celebrating again with friends. She was to be the heir to the Hyuuga Clan, and turning eighteen just meant she was closer to succeeding that position. I never knew Hinata too well before, but I can understand her predicament.

Being forced to accept a responsibility she had no real choice in, then being outclassed by everybody around her. Then having your family pressure you into being the best. The thought of my father crossed my mind. Just remembering the day he acknowledged me as being worthy of bearing the Uchiha Clan symbol on my back brought some peace to my soul; but not enough, not after all these years of anger and hate. To have to amount to expectations that were not mine to begin with, yes, this is also another aspect that must trouble her. _She must hate her own weakness_, I thought to myself. _'Cause I know I hated my own weaknesses…and still do._

I came around the corner, and stopped when I saw Naruto's apartment. I suddenly, did not feel like going to this. Yes, I would be disappointing Sakura. And yes, I would be disappointing everybody else. I stood there for a moment, looking up to the door. I finally decided to leave, before anybody spotted me. Taking a step backward, I turned to go around the corner. Before I could bump into her, I stopped. Her eyes did not look up at me, and her hand held the wall, as if bracing herself, while her other hand was touching her lip. I just looked down at her. _Damn_, I thought to myself.

"Oh…s-sorry," she apologized quickly, yet quietly.

"It's okay," I replied impassively, as I motioned to walk past her.

I stopped when I felt a slight pressure on my arm. Looking down, I saw that she grabbed my arm, as if to stop me from going. Just as quickly, she let go. I looked at her, and I could tell she did not seem comfortable. I had not thought she would meet my gaze, but she did.

"A-are you not staying, Uchiha-san?" she inquired softly.

"No," I replied, "I was just coming to drop this off." I showed her the gift I held in my hand, it was in a slender box, with the name _Hyuuga_ carved into the top left hand corner. I saw Hinata's face light up a bit, and then a flash of pink crossed over her cheeks. I was not sure what to do, so I just held out the gift to her. "Here, I have to get going now."

With that, I turned and started walking. Who knows what Hinata was doing just then, but I wanted to leave before anybody else spotted me. Mostly for the reason that I did not want to be playing my flute, but if it was just Hinata there, then I'm sure I would have done so.

As I kept walking, I could the soft sound of crunching snow behind me. For some odd reason, I thought it would be Hinata, but I never bothered to turn around and look. But whoever it was, it sure sounded like they were in a hurry.

"Wait! Please, wait," a voice began to plead.

I recognized the voice almost instantly. Hyuuga Hinata.

"Sasuke-san!" I stopped, and turning, my guess was correct. It was Hinata. I had been walking against the wind, so I began to wonder just how long she had been calling me. I hadn't noticed the wind pick up, until just now. As snow blew off a roof, I saw her raise a hand up to block the snow from hitting her face. "I'm sorry."

I rose a brow. What is she apologizing for, I wondered to myself.

"Did you just start running after me?" I inquired out of curiosity.

She nodded, as tried to steady her breathing. "I t-told Naruto-kun t-that I forgot something," she admitted. "I f-forgot to thank you, Sasuke-san." She kept walking towards me.

I was going to tell her not to worry about it. But before I could say anything, she was already pulling a small bundle out of her jacket pocket. _It sure didn't take her long to make a thank-you gift_, I thought to myself. She was just handing it to me, when she slipped. Her eyes went wide with surprise, and there was a genuine shocked look on her face. Without really having time to think, I reached out to try and stop her, but to no avail. She was lying on her back, pushing herself up to a sitting position. Once again, I could see that she red with embarrassment.

"I would never imagine a shinobi slipping on ice," I began to say, as I offered her a hand of help. I smiled, finding it rather amusing. "That was certainly graceful."

She brushed some snow away from the ground, to reveal ice beneath the snow. "This ice must have been polished by the wind," she explained. However, as she did so, I couldn't help but notice a look of hurt on her features.

Yet, I was also impressed. She didn't even studder. In fact, she sounded adorable without the studder. Hinata took my hand, and I helped her up. She held up the small little bundle. A look of disappointment came to her face, when she saw the wrapping was disheveled.

"I t-thought you m-might use this in your t-training," Hinata said as she offered the little bundle to me. Still, she never met my dark eyes. It was obvious she was having difficulties in approaching me, and even talking to me. "It's some m-medicines."

I looked down at the bundle, then to her. I couldn't understand why she was offering me these creams and stuff. Raising my hand to take the gifts, I paused for a brief moment. I took her hand into mine, and closed her fingers around the little bundle.

"You keep it," I said unemotionally.

Finally, she looked up to meet my eyes. Hurt was evident in her eyes. It didn't look like she would say anything. "You'll need it more," I told her, and with that I turned to leave. I don't know why I did what I did. I just couldn't bring myself to accept her gift. I know I could have taken it, and not use it, but that would be worse than not accepting it from the beginning. It would have been lying, and I could not bring myself to doing that to Hinata, at least not then and there.

I left Hinata, standing there, in the winter winds and cold. I had nothing left to say. I had nothing to do that would make it better, because I knew that it would not help Hinata the least to know me. She suffered enough from her family, and her old team. Just looking at her, it was easy to tell from her timid ness just how much her friends and family influenced her, affected her. I just didn't want to hurt her.

She is different from me. Despite everything that has happened to her, and all the pressures and abuse, she still remained kind and gentle. It was the one thing about her that I admired, and just started to notice.

I wouldn't know how long Hinata stood there, or how long she remained hurt by my actions. However, as far as I can figure, it was the best for her. Another favor I would be doing for her. As a shinobi, she has to understand that your own person is just as important as others. Even if I wanted to look back, I couldn't bring myself to see her, maybe she was crying. I wouldn't know what to do to comfort her. Suddenly, I felt so terrible, and it was an awful feeling.

The cold winds were comforting to me. Feeling the coldness reminded me that I was alive, and the wind hitting my face left a slight stinging feeling. I wanted to go back, and make sure she was okay. I wanted to ensure she was someplace warm. The look on her eyes kept haunting my mind, even by the time I got back to the empty Uchiha compound. As much as I tried to forget about her, I couldn't help but _think_ about her.

It began to snow. I sat outside my home for a while, just watching the snow fall gently to the ground. I sat outside until I began to lose feeling in my legs, and the chill of the air could be felt through my jacket. Sliding the shojo door open, I stepped into my empty and quiet home.

_Hinata, I acknowledge you_. The family she has does not appreciate her, the way she needs to be appreciated. You deserve to express yourself freely. You deserve to smile and laugh.

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**A/N:** well, that went a different direction than I thought my chapter was going lol I wanted to focus on what Sasuke was thinking all those times…but this is only a glimpse…and what I was capable of writing at the moment. Actually, this took me quite a long time to write hahahaha 

But just the same, I would like to get feedback…and also some suggestions. Also, I would like to clarify something…that may be confusing, well I find it confusing, in _Embers of Ambition_ I wrote that the reunion thinger happened when they were 18, but Hinata is actually 17, cuz her birthday is like in December….and this fic takes place like almost a week or so after she turned 18…just to state lol

Well, thankies for reading.


	3. Gentle Glow

**A/N:** Wow….talk about a long wait….sheesh! I'm sure you don't want to hear excuses….and I hope people are still reading this fanfic….if not, that's okay! nods Alright….so we ended with Hinata's 18th Birthday….and then I just kinda stopped writing….hmmm…..ponders

Well, I used the suggestion **_Random person_** included in her review…..all those many months ago lol

Oi, I seriously have some ideas though!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto!

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**Gentle Glow**

_Hinata's Point of View_

The warm March sun beat down on us. It was nice, considering that the breeze still felt like a winter chill. Lying on my back, I looked up at the bare branches that poked over the stone wall of the Aburame compound. From my point of view, it looked very beautiful. Beyond the branches, I could see some of the clouds blotting the blue sky like strokes from a paintbrush.

Blinking my eyes a few times, I could feel my eyes water a bit. The brightness was a bit too much, especially looking straight up at the sky. I turned my head a bit to the side to look over at Shino, who sat facing me. I had the feeling he had been looking at me, but when I actually looked he was busy going through his own bento box.

"Are you looking forward to working at the Academy?" he asked suddenly.

I held up my hand to block the sunlight from my eyes. "Well…" I trailed off, not knowing what I really felt about it.

Shino looked up from his food towards me, perhaps stirred by my reluctance to continue. I loved how he cared for me, it made me feel good. He probably wanted me to continue, but I just turned so that I was lying on my stomach. I was feeling blinded by the light, and still saw those annoying purple dots and lines. Closing my eyes, the orbs of phantom light still haunted my vision.

I could feel Shino moving to sit next to me. Opening my eyes, I discovered Shino laying next me, looking up at the sky. A smile came to my face. All I could think was, _those sunglasses must be hand, after all_.

"It's not the work I'm worried about," I continued on.

"…But the people you'll be working with," Shino finished what I was getting at. I had never meant to say that, exactly, but Shino always had this way of knowing what was bothering me.

There was silence. Not quite certain what to say, because I did not want to give the wrong impression. I was positive he knew who else would be working every now and then at the Academy, and that left only one person who I would be uncomfortable to work with.

"Yes," I said, then buried my head into the crook of my elbow. I could feel my face getting warm. I only hoped that Shino did not notice. _Why am I blushing! It's not like Shino can read your thoughts...but if he could, what he do? This is so stupid…he wouldn't care if you were kind of unsettled to be working with Sasuke. Not that you will be working with him…plus, why would you want to?_

Thoughts kept racing through my mind. I did not like it when I got paranoid like this, as if I were committing a crime just by thinking about Uchiha Sasuke. _It's not right. You're with Shino, _I lectured myself.

"Hinata?"

I perked my head up, a bit embarrassed, and praying that Shino had not been talking to me for too long. "Y-y-yes?" I stammered. My face heated up again, just hearing myself stutter.

"Is this about Uchiha-san?"

I could have died. I buried my face into the blanket we were lying on, and folded my arms in front of me, making sure that he could not see my face.

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry, Shino," I suddenly said, but was certain all he could hear was a muffled sound. I had no clue why I had said that, maybe I convinced myself that he could read my thoughts, after all, who could not, was the real question.

I peeked up over my jacket sleeve at him. He had a half-smile on his face, with his brow cocked, probably not sure what to make of this. I did not like guessing what people were thinking, it was better if they just came straight out and said what they wanted to. "About what?" he asked.

My lip quivered a bit, just as I was about to continue my explanation. I was caught off guard, I assumed he would get concerned…or something. Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked at him in disbelief. "A-about…de-…ah-…" I was speechless. All that managed to come out was a few mumbles, or incomplete words. I stopped myself, and tried to calm my nerves. Shino seemed calm and cool, and yet, here I was, getting worked up about…nothing?

The amusement that was initially on his face was gone, and now he was just looking at me, perhaps trying to make out what I was attempting to tell him. Shino was really one of the few people I could truly confide in. All those years, I have wanted to spill out what I was thinking, but just at that moment, I wanted to block everybody out, including him.

"Is it because what happened at your birthday?" My thoughts searched for what exactly he was talking about, and then it hit me. Remembering back to that day, when he left me standing there. I did not mean to be so withdrawn that day, I appreciated that they went through the trouble of organizing it for me. It showed that they really cared. I just wish that if people did not want to come, they did not have to against their own will. "You don't need to worry, Hinata. Sasuke's like that to everybody."

Glancing over to meet Shino's gaze, I pointed out. "That is true…" I rather admired that he was trying to put this into perspective. Secretly, I was so glad that he did not assume I liked Uchiha Sasuke. Besides, Shino was not one to tease.

"You have to understand where it is he came from. It's was shaped him, and just accepting him like that should make it less of burden to handle."

I smiled. "Thank you for understanding, Shino," I hugged him. He held me for awhile, and we sat there, and he told me about a mission he had to go on. It was getting late in the afternoon, and I decided it was about time to get home. Besides, I had my training to get to, and Shino had to go to another briefing for another mission he would have to do. We were Chuunin, but Shino and some of my other well-talented peers, were sometimes put into other teams to complete further missions. Our team had our own missions as well, but sometimes there skills were needed for certain missions.

As I walked home, I spotted Uchiha Sasuke. Immediately, I had the urge to run and hide. I would have too, but then I heard someone addressing me.

"Excuse me?" the quiet voice came again.

I stopped, and turned to see an elderly lady, struggling with trying to set up some folding tables. I could not understand why she would be setting up this late in the afternoon. Usually, you saw shop keepers out bright and early setting up there business.

"Can you help me?" I noticed that the tape she was using got stuck together, and she likely had difficulties finding the end.

"Oh," I immediately, went to take the tape from her. "Here, I can get that undone for you." After a few frustrating picks at the tape, I got it.

Meanwhile, she was trying to unfold the legs of one of the tables. "I got it," I told her, not sure if she noticed that I fixed her tape.

"Hinata?"

The sound of the voice was familiar, and I knew Sasuke had spotted me. Trying my best to act surprised, I turned around. I did not need to act, in fact, I _was_ surprised. "Oh, Sasuke," I said with a small smile.

"I didn't know you worked here," he said, as he looked past me to the old lady.

"Oh…I don't," I confessed, "I was just helping."

"Looks like she's having trouble, do you think you should help her?"

Following his gaze, I looked back to the see that the old lady was still having difficulties with the stubborn table leg. Hurrying to her side, I helped her. She turned to see Sasuke standing not too far behind us.

"Oh, you brought a friend!" She exclaimed, "Could you two just quickly tape these up." She handed Sasuke a few decorations. It made me wonder why she just didn't use nails to get them up, since it would hold better. I watched as she started explaining to him where they go, and I finished setting up the last of the three tables.

Soon, Sasuke was on a tiny ladder, trying to pin up the decorations. "My nephew is busy today, and I found it very hard to get set up," she began to explain to us, as I handed Sasuke pieces of tape. "And what help we do have, we have to cook, right?"

I nodded in agreement. She continued to talk, taking a few moments every now and then, instructing Sasuke where the stringed decorations go. At last we were done. Sasuke was going to put the ladder back in, when suddenly the old lady stopped him. "Well, that one side could be a bit higher," she began to say, "You wouldn't mind just going up to fix would you?"

I thought Sasuke would look annoyed, but he was not. He just came back out with the ladder, and asked which side needed fixing. It was one of those moments, when something just 'clicks' inside of you. Shino's words came back to, and it was as if I could hear him saying that more understanding is needed. I certainly did not want to be ignorant, and I felt disappointed with myself that I would assume Sasuke to be a total jerk.

Sasuke pulled off the line, and I caught it before could drop. He had pulled at least half of it back down. I was struggling with getting the tape unstuck. It wrapped around itself, and I did not want to put it up like that, it would look to messy.

"You got it?" Sasuke asked, looking down at me from the ladder.

I bit my lower lip as I tried to pull the tape off, only succeeding in getting it more stuck and bunched together. "No," I grunted, as I pulled hard enough not to break the string itself. "The tape's stuck."

Climbing down the ladder, Sasuke stood in front of me, looking at the mess I had made of the tape and string. I handed it to him, and he pulled on it. Looking up from the tape, I met his scarlet eyes. "What did you do?" he asked as he struggled to get it off, and not wanting to break the decorations nor string. That was the major concern. He pulled it off, and in my hand I held the other balls of bunched up tape.

"You got it!" I smiled, and wanted to laugh. We must have looked funny; I tried to imagine how we might have looked.

"Here," he held up the tape he got off the string. I sort of cringed, because I thought he would throw it at me. "You don't want it?" With that, he stuffed it in his pocket, not wanting to leave it lying on the ground, I assumed.

At last, the decorations were up to the elderly woman's satisfaction. She gave us little treats as thanks. He never did complain, even as we walked together for a few blocks. Once again I felt ashamed that I would think he would gripe about wasting his training time helping some old lady. We parted ways, and never spoke too much during our short walk. After he left, I found myself smiling, for what reasons, I could only guess at. There was more to Uchiha Sasuke, and I always knew that.

I only wish that I knew more about him. Today, I found out that he is not as bad as some people say. I wondered who really knew him.

_I wish I could get to know you better, Uchiha-san._

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**A/N: **Okay, so that was more Hinata/Shino than Hinata/Sasuke, but as I was writing this, more ideas came to mind. Plus, I'm working on another fic…yes, I'm expecting it to be good too crosses fingers okay, well review…good or bad, it doesn't matter. I want to hear how I can improve, and you can help grins

Thanks for reading!


	4. Distant Light

**A/N**: Man, so I had this partially written, like two and a half pages. But then, I moved out of the house and the file was on the family computer, and some worm or virus sent the comp crazy….so all files were lost. But I actually wrote like a page on paper, so when I found like earlier last week I figured I should at least update this fic. I mean, I still want to write it, heck, I even have an idea going about a sequel thinger. But winter break is coming up, and right now I'm thinking of more ideas for this loveable pairing.

Please Read and Review, and I am sorry for this very belated update.

Do Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Insane people who think I own these wonderful characters

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**Distant Light**

With pencil in hand, I sat at my small desk, trying for the life of me to form the words that expressed what I felt. And yet, there was something else that warned me of the dangers of even keeping a diary. It wasn't that I was paranoid, but say if Shino ever found this…well, I guess that would be paranoia. Why would Shino even read my diary, I asked myself, disappointed that I did not even trust him. With a small sigh, I let my head fall back.

"What's wrong with me?" I questioned myself in barely a whisper. "It's not a big deal…"

The rustling of leaves could be heard just outside my window. The dark clouds that shrouded the sky earlier in the day had foretold that this storm was coming. With the winds picking up, my curtains began to billow even more. Standing up, I walked over to the window. The sky was so dark, and the wind rather cool.

Biting my pencil, I used both hands to close my window. Taking the pencil back into my hand, I remained standing by the window, watching as every now and then the clouds would lighten up as thunder sounded. The rain could only be seen as it passed under the street lights, and just beyond my window. It looked cold, and everything was drenched.

As I sat back down, I began to wonder if this was a waste of time. I did not see any need in writing how I confused I was or how I thought I 'might' like Sasuke. Obviously, the keyword being might. 'Besides, he's a jerk,' I complained, trying to convince myself that I didn't like him, which I didn't. 'It wouldn't hurt him to be nice.'

Finally, pushing my small diary away, I stood up. "I'm not even going to worry about it. Besides, Neji might say that it would show I do like him."

Dropping my pencil, I grabbed a hooded jacket and put it on. Stealing one more glance out my window, I finalized my decision to go for a walk. To my surprise, nobody questioned where I was going. Perhaps, though, they did not see me, but either way, I was glad for it.

The streets were quiet, and the wind felt stronger once you left the sheltered yard of the Hyuuga compound. Regret slowly crept its way into my mind, but I pushed it back, trying to make room to think. The wind continued to blow at my back, as if urging me to continue forward. I couldn't very well turn back, at least not for now. There was too much I had to sort out. The rain was of course blocked by my hood, and I was thankful that it wasn't pouring down like a rainfall.

My gaze remained on the ground laid before, and as I continued to walk down the street, my attention was brought to the numerous puddles that dotted the road. Specks of lights reflected from the street lights danced on the water's surface. They would continuously change as I walked by them. Sometimes the wind would cause ripples that created the most beautiful effect. On every wave the light would reflect off it, leaving a temporary yellow ripple on a dark pool of water.

As I passed by a shallow puddle, my attention was caught not by the puddle's surface but its contents. There at the bottom wriggled an earth worm. I watched it as it slowly moved its way along the bottom, seemingly making no progress. Finally, I just squatted right next to it, despite the fact that I was chilly. Curious, I dipped my finger in the ice cold water and poked the worm. Seeing it curl into a ball only made me question why that would help it.

Leaving the worm as it was, I continued my trek to personal understanding, if that was possible, which I doubted whole-heartedly, but what was there to think about. Nearing the small park I spotted a small bench. Quickly, I made my way to it. It was eerie, but it was quiet and at that moment, it seemed secluded.

My jacket was baggy enough to cover my butt, so at least my pants wouldn't be so wet. Pulling my hands into my sleeves, I sat there, shivering, not really thinking about anything except for how stupid I was sitting there shivering. Stretching my foot in front of me, I noticed how muddy my sandals had gotten, and how mud was splashed in dots up the back of my calf. Pulling my hood over my eyes, I laid back on the bench.

Sneaking a peek up at the sky, I saw the rain drops coming down. This was definitely a different perspective, and I enjoyed it.

"Are you okay?" I heard a voice ask.

Lifting my hood up, I glanced over and saw him standing there. Immediately I sat up. "Uh, y-y-yeah," I said through chattering teeth.

"Hinata? Is that you?" He asked as he neared close enough to see my face. Pulling my hood back, I just looked at him. "What are you doing out here?"

"N-nothing," I replied, getting kind of nervous. "W-well, w-w-hat're you d-doing?" I just prayed that he thought I wasn't stuttering; I swear, it was just the cold.

"You just like soaking in rain," he said, apparently ignoring what I said.

"No," I retorted, "My j-jacket and p-pants are still k-k-kinda d-dry." For a moment, I swear he laughed, but who knows, my teeth were chattering like mad.

"For someone who claims to be content," he began, "You certainly don't look it."

"I didn't say I was content," I said out of frustration. "Well, w-w-why are you out h-h-here?"

"I was training."

I rolled my eyes, after all I did sort of expect him to say that. "What if you get sick? Who's going to care for…" It was too late. I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't have to care, but I did. I wanted to help people, and it made me feel bad when I couldn't. I bit my lower lip, hoping I didn't offend him, even though I knew I did.

"I get sick, and I care for myself," he said, with the same confidence as he always seemed to have. "Just as always."

A silence lingered. I swallowed hard, not sure what to say or do. "Sasuke…I-"

"You look soaked," he interrupted, "You should probably go home."

I sat there silent as he walked away. I'm not too sure how long I sat there, but when I did start my walk back home, my pants were dripping wet. Neji wasn't there waiting as he always seemed to do. Inside, I was sad for this, yet kept telling myself that it was probably best he didn't see me like this. As much as I cared for him, I wouldn't want anybody seeing me in this pathetic state.

My eyes teared up, and I tried my best not to cry. I could only imagine what Uchiha Sasuke thought of me now. I was so disappointed in myself. As I walked up to my room, I fought to hold back my tears, and soon after, a small pain formed in my chest. I was so terribly sorry, and I just prayed that I would be able to fall asleep. I quietly stepped down the hall, careful not to awaken anybody, if they were sleeping.

The warmth of my dry night clothes and bed was welcoming. I laid there, in my dark room crying, careful not to make a sound. Every now and then, a sob escaped my throat and I would bury my face into my pillow. I'll make it up to you, I silently vowed. I knew that wasn't the only reason I was crying, but it was a good enough reason to start. Slowly sleep crept over me as I calmed my sobs.

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**A/N:** So yeah, I hope that will do for now. Slowly, they will get together as they were in 'Embers of Amibition'. I hope I expressed her emotions well. Please let me know! 

...I want to hear your thoughts.

And yes...this chapter was...bland, and somewhat pointless, but its a process.


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